The ISSA contributes to the cooperation of the BRICS countries (Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa) in the area of labour, employment and social security since 2015. These countries are forging closer ties in social security, and the ISSA also hosts the BRICS Virtual Liaison Office on Social Security jointly with the International Labour Organization (ILO).

In his address to the BRICS ministers, ISSA President Joachim Breuer stressed that social security is being challenged due to the pandemic and the decline of national economies in different parts of the world. He called for stronger international cooperation and underscored that “the global situation could be even worse if there was no social security”.

The BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting, organized under the Chinese Presidency, was an opportunity to discuss important issues such as the promotion of green jobs for sustainable development, developing skills for resilient recovery and protecting workers’ right in new forms of employment.

The ISSA and the ILO jointly gave a joint presentation focussing on protecting workers in new forms of employment. While positive steps have been taken in recent years, there is still a need to extend social protection and ensure adequate coverage for platform workers and the self-employed, and to ensure a fair distribution of financing responsibilities between platform and conventional employers.

The BRICS ministers adopted a declaration committing to further improve the protection of workers in the context of the discussed priorities.